New research at Massachusetts General Hospital is showing that it may be able to treat severe depression with the use of specialized light and without medication.Jerrie Spencer, who has taken part in the study, said that she has seen a big improvement with her chronic depression.Watch the report“My depression had been worsening and even though I’d seen my doctor, I didn’t want to go on prescriptions,” said Spencer.Spencer looked for alternatives and came across a clinical trial at MGH.The trial is examining the effects of near infrared light on depression and anxiety.Spencer went for treatment twice a week for three months last spring and said that she noticed a difference by the second treatment.Patients strap on a sort of virtual headset that delivers the low-level light.Dr. Paolo Cassano of the MGH Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders and Depression and Clinical Research Program said the brain absorbs the low-level light as energy.“This wavelength, if there is sufficient intensity of light, penetrates and gets to the neuron and fuels the cells,” said Cassano.The treatment has been very well tolerated in the small study.“Patients can feel irritable,” said Cassano. “Some patients can have the very first treatment and some unusual sensations – vivid colors or bright lights.”“I hear a bit of whirring,” said Spencer. “Sometimes I’ll notice a bit of warmth and some tingling.” But Spender said that it didn’t bother her.The low-level light treatment, also used for traumatic brain injury is in its infancy, with plenty of skeptics.But Spencer is a believer.“It has absolutely changed my life,” she said. “It’s not a feeling of euphoria. It didn’t make me really happy per se, it just took away the element of feeling depressed. It was a very positive experience for me, and I’m really glad that I did it.”Cassano said antidepressants still remain the first line of treatment, but for those who can't take them, this experimental therapy shows promise.He is planning a second, larger clinical trial for this summer.Ideal candidates are patients who have had difficulty taking antidepressants.Cassano hopes to see low-level light therapy become part of the standard treatment for depression and anxiety in the future.

BOSTON —

New research at Massachusetts General Hospital is showing that it may be able to treat severe depression with the use of specialized light and without medication.

Jerrie Spencer, who has taken part in the study, said that she has seen a big improvement with her chronic depression.

“My depression had been worsening and even though I’d seen my doctor, I didn’t want to go on prescriptions,” said Spencer.

Spencer looked for alternatives and came across a clinical trial at MGH.

The trial is examining the effects of near infrared light on depression and anxiety.

Spencer went for treatment twice a week for three months last spring and said that she noticed a difference by the second treatment.

Patients strap on a sort of virtual headset that delivers the low-level light.

Dr. Paolo Cassano of the MGH Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders and Depression and Clinical Research Program said the brain absorbs the low-level light as energy.

“This wavelength, if there is sufficient intensity of light, penetrates and gets to the neuron and fuels the cells,” said Cassano.

The treatment has been very well tolerated in the small study.

“Patients can feel irritable,” said Cassano. “Some patients can have the very first treatment and some unusual sensations – vivid colors or bright lights.”

“I hear a bit of whirring,” said Spencer. “Sometimes I’ll notice a bit of warmth and some tingling.” But Spender said that it didn’t bother her.

The low-level light treatment, also used for traumatic brain injury is in its infancy, with plenty of skeptics.

But Spencer is a believer.

“It has absolutely changed my life,” she said. “It’s not a feeling of euphoria. It didn’t make me really happy per se, it just took away the element of feeling depressed. It was a very positive experience for me, and I’m really glad that I did it.”

Cassano said antidepressants still remain the first line of treatment, but for those who can't take them, this experimental therapy shows promise.

He is planning a second, larger clinical trial for this summer.

Ideal candidates are patients who have had difficulty taking antidepressants.

Cassano hopes to see low-level light therapy become part of the standard treatment for depression and anxiety in the future.